The Brattle Group combines deep nuclear industry knowledge with expertise in power markets to assist clients in understanding the economic and environmental contributions of nuclear power.

As climate change continues to be a pressing concern, future U.S. climate policy at the state and national level is likely to focus on electricity sector carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. Brattle’s experts have extensive experience assessing the critical role nuclear power plants can play in limiting CO2 emissions.

In a recent whitepaper addressing the carbon emission impacts of premature nuclear retirements, Brattle economists found that the vulnerability of some nuclear power plants to premature retirement could create a major threat to the attainment of desired CO2 reduction. The analysis found that the retirement of a 1,000 megawatt nuclear plant could increase CO2 emissions in the range of 4.1 to 6.7 million tons per year, or 0.52-0.84 tons per MWh of nuclear generation lost, depending on the region in which the nuclear retirement occurs. The whitepaper can be read it its entirety here.

We have also been active in investigating mechanisms to sustain existing nuclear plants, some of which are facing financial difficulties that may threaten their premature retirement. We invite you to learn more about our recent work assessing the economic and environmental impacts of the nuclear industry.